Ai-lin's bookshelf: all en-US Mon, 17 Oct 2022 06:28:02 -0700 60 Ai-lin's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Outsider 15686 'The sky seemed to rip apart from end to end to pour fire down upon me'

Meursault will not conform. When his mother dies, he refuses to show his emotions simply to satisfy the expectations of others. And when he commits a random act of violence on a sun-drenched beach, his lack of remorse only compounds his guilt in the eyes of society and law.

Albert Camus' portrayal of a man confronting the absurdity of human life became an existentialist classic. Yet it is also a book filled with quiet joy in the "tender indifference" of the physical world, and Sandra Smith's new translation based on listening to a recording of Camus reading aloud, sensitively renders the subtleties and dreamlike atmosphere of The Outsider.]]>
119 Albert Camus 0141182504 Ai-lin 3 4.01 1942 The Outsider
author: Albert Camus
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1942
rating: 3
read at: 2007/11/01
date added: 2022/10/17
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Running with the Pack: Thoughts from the Road on Meaning and Mortality]]> 16124502
In Running with the Pack he tells us about the most significant runs of his life - from the entire day he spent running as a boy in Wales, to the runs along French beaches and up Irish mountains with his beloved wolf Brenin, and through Florida swamps more recently with his dog Nina. Intertwined with this honest, passionate and witty memoir are the fascinating meditations that those runs triggered. He ends by describing running a mid-life marathon with absolutely no training. Woven throughout the book are profound meditations on mortality, midlife and the meaning of life. This is a highly original and moving book that will make the philosophically inclined want to run, and those who love running become intoxicated by philosophical ideas.]]>
224 Mark Rowlands 1847082025 Ai-lin 4 3.63 Running with the Pack: Thoughts from the Road on Meaning and Mortality
author: Mark Rowlands
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.63
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2013/05/17
date added: 2021/12/06
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Murder Most Florid: Inside the Mind of a Forensic Botanist]]> 48807658
Murder Most Florid is an enthralling, first-person account that follows Mark's unconventional and unique career, one that takes him to woodlands, wasteland and roadsides, as well as police labs, to examine the botanical evidence of serious crimes. From unearthing a decomposing victims from brambles to dissecting the vegetation of a shallow grave, Mark's botanical knowledge can be crucial to securing a conviction.

More widely, this gripping book challenges our attitude to death and response to crime. It picks holes in the sensationalized depictions of policing we see on TV, and asks pertinent questions about public sector funding in the face of rising crime. Most importantly, it shows us how the ancient lessons of botanical science can still be front and centre in our modern, DNA-obsessed world.]]>
176 Mark A. Spencer 1787134008 Ai-lin 0 to-read 3.47 2019 Murder Most Florid: Inside the Mind of a Forensic Botanist
author: Mark A. Spencer
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/01/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Tombland (Matthew Shardlake, #7)]]> 40095725 Spring, 1549. Two years after the death of Henry VIII, England is sliding into chaos�

The king, Edward VI, is eleven years old. His uncle Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, rules as Protector. Radical Protestants are conducting all out war on the old religion, stirring discontent among the people. The Protector's prolonged war with Scotland is proving a disastrous failure. Worst of all, the economy is in collapse, inflation rages and rebellion is stirring among the peasantry.

Since the old King's death, Matthew Shardlake has been working as a lawyer in the service of Henry's younger daughter, the Lady Elizabeth. The gruesome murder of the wife of John Boleyn, a distant Norfolk relation of Elizabeth's mother - which could have political implications for Elizabeth - brings Shardlake and his young assistant Nicholas Overton to the summer assizes at Norwich. There they are reunited with Shardlake's former assistant Jack Barak. The three find layers of mystery and danger surrounding the death of Edith Boleyn, as more murders are committed.

During their investigation, a peasant rebellion breaks out across the country. Yeoman Robert Kett establishes a vast camp outside Norwich and leads a force of thousands to overthow the landlords. Soon the rebels have taken over the city, England's second largest.

Barak throws in his lot with the rebels; Nicholas, opposed to them, becomes a prisoner in Norwich Castle; while Shardlake has to decide where his ultimate loyalties lie. As government forces in London prepare to march north and destroy the rebels, he discovers that the murder of Edith Boleyn may have connections reaching into both the heart of the rebel camp and of the Norfolk gentry...

Tombland is both a thrilling murder mystery and a vivid and engaging portrait of a divided nation.

]]>
865 C.J. Sansom 1447284496 Ai-lin 0 currently-reading 4.29 2018 Tombland (Matthew Shardlake, #7)
author: C.J. Sansom
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/01/07
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Walker's Guide to Outdoor Clues and Signs]]> 21118222
Anyone with an interest in the outdoors may already know how to gauge the distance of a storm by counting after lightning or how to estimate the age of dead trees by counting rings. But people have never been given the chance to learn many more similar skills from one book until now...

Written by the author of THE NATURAL NAVIGATOR and THE NATURAL EXPLORER, THE WALKER'S GUIDE is for everyone to enrich their own walks and see their surroundings in a completely new light.]]>
438 Tristan Gooley 1444780115 Ai-lin 5 3.86 2014 The Walker's Guide to Outdoor Clues and Signs
author: Tristan Gooley
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2015/12/28
date added: 2019/07/20
shelves:
review:
An accessible read and I would recommend this to anyone who appreciates the outdoors.
]]>
<![CDATA[A Legacy of Spies (George Smiley, #9)]]> 39791734 #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The undisputed master returns with a riveting new book--his first Smiley novel in more than twenty-five years

Peter Guillam, staunch colleague and disciple of George Smiley of the British Secret Service, otherwise known as the Circus, is living out his old age on the family farmstead on the south coast of Brittany when a letter from his old Service summons him to London. The reason? His Cold War past has come back to claim him. Intelligence operations that were once the toast of secret London, and involved such characters as Alec Leamas, Jim Prideaux, George Smiley and Peter Guillam himself, are to be scrutinized by a generation with no memory of the Cold War and no patience with its justifications.

Interweaving past with present so that each may tell its own intense story, John le Carr� has spun a single plot as ingenious and thrilling as the two predecessors on which it looks back: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. In a story resonating with tension, humor and moral ambivalence, le Carr� and his narrator Peter Guillam present the reader with a legacy of unforgettable characters old and new.]]>
272 John Le Carré 0735225133 Ai-lin 3 3.79 2017 A Legacy of Spies (George Smiley, #9)
author: John Le Carré
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2018/09/06
shelves:
review:

]]>
Origin (Robert Langdon, #5) 40963142 An alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here

Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend a major announcement--the unveiling of a discovery that "will change the face of science forever." The evening's host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure. Kirsch, who was one of Langdon's first students at Harvard two decades earlier, is about to reveal an astonishing breakthrough . . . one that will answer two of the fundamental questions of human existence.

As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch's precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Reeling and facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch to stage the provocative event. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch's secret.

Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade a tormented enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain's Royal Palace itself . . . and who will stop at nothing to silence Edmond Kirsch. On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon and Vidal uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch's shocking discovery . . . and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us. Origin is stunningly inventive--Dan Brown's most brilliant and entertaining novel to date]]>
463 Dan Brown Ai-lin 3 4.10 2017 Origin (Robert Langdon, #5)
author: Dan Brown
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2018/08/13
shelves:
review:

]]>
Crisis (Luke Carlton #1) 26631716
Sent into the steaming Colombian jungle to investigate the murder of a British intelligence officer, Luke finds himself caught up in the coils of a plot that has terrifying international dimensions. Hunted down, captured, tortured and on the run from one of South America's most powerful and ruthless drugs cartels and its psychotic leader thirsting for revenge, Luke is in a life-or-death race against time to prevent a disaster on a truly terrifying scale: London is the target, the weapon is diabolical and the means of delivery is ingenious.

Drawing on his years of experience reporting on security matters, CRISIS is Frank Gardner’s debut novel. Combining insider knowledge, up-to-the-minute hardware, fly on the wall insights with heart-in-mouth excitement, CRISIS boasts an irresistible, visceral frisson of authenticity: smart, fast-paced and furiously entertaining, here is a thriller for the 21st century.]]>
464 Frank Gardner 0593075781 Ai-lin 3 3.72 2016 Crisis (Luke Carlton #1)
author: Frank Gardner
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2018/08/07
date added: 2018/08/07
shelves:
review:
An entertaining read. Quite pacey. Would be keen to find out how the characters evolve abd develop in the next books.
]]>
<![CDATA[Dissolution (Matthew Shardlake, #1)]]> 138685 456 C.J. Sansom 0330411969 Ai-lin 0 4.05 2003 Dissolution (Matthew Shardlake, #1)
author: C.J. Sansom
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at: 2018/07/30
date added: 2018/07/30
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Blissful Brain: Neuroscience and Proof of the Power of Meditation]]> 3087740 The Blissful Brain, Dr. Shanida Nataraja explores the extraordinary research that shows practices such as meditation, tai chi and yoga are not only helpful in reducing stress; they may actually be crucial for good health and optimal brain functioning.Ěý From the effects of meditation on blood pressure and depression to the latest insights from brain imaging studies, this book reveals the scientific evidence that proves meditative practices should be at the very heart of our healthcare system.Ěý]]> 400 Shanida Nataraja 1856752917 Ai-lin 0 3.89 2008 The Blissful Brain: Neuroscience and Proof of the Power of Meditation
author: Shanida Nataraja
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at: 2018/07/15
date added: 2018/07/15
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Secret Life of Birds: Who They Are and What They Do]]> 6667872 496 Colin Tudge 0141034769 Ai-lin 0 to-read, shelved-away 4.06 2008 The Secret Life of Birds: Who They Are and What They Do
author: Colin Tudge
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/07/09
shelves: to-read, shelved-away
review:

]]>
The Brain: The Story of You 25776132 224 David Eagleman 1101870532 Ai-lin 5 4.25 2015 The Brain: The Story of You
author: David Eagleman
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2018/05/13
date added: 2018/05/13
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Science of Meditation: How to Change Your Brain, Mind and Body]]> 34511804 Altered Traits brings a startling new perspective to an understanding of our relationship to our brain, our personal traits, and even our genome - showing that smart practice can alter these for the better.

Drawing on a one-of-a-kind data pool - brain studies of world-class meditators - Goleman and Davidson sweep away common misconceptions and neuromythology to open reader's eyes to the ways data has been distorted to sell mind training methods. Simultaneously, they share for the first time remarkable findings that show potential for our cultivation of highly positive, lasting qualities, such as selflessness, equanimity, love and compassion, through meditation.

Altered Traits shifts the conversation of precisely how and when mind training benefits us, revealing reveal the power of intentional, sustained mental exercise to redesign neural circuitry. Anyone who cares about improving the human condition - or their own - will find much to ponder.]]>
340 Daniel Goleman 0241975670 Ai-lin 4 3.60 2017 The Science of Meditation: How to Change Your Brain, Mind and Body
author: Daniel Goleman
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2018/05/04
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Adventures of a Young Naturalist: The Zoo Quest Expeditions]]> 35711517
Now 'the greatest living advocate of the global ecosystem' this is the story of the voyages that started it all. Staying with local tribes while trekking in search of giant anteaters in Guyana, Komodo dragons in Indonesia and armadillos in Paraguay, he and the rest of the team battled with cannibal fish, aggressive tree porcupines and escape-artist wild pigs, as well as treacherous terrain and unpredictable weather, to record the incredible beauty and biodiversity of these regions. The methods may be outdated now, but the fascination and respect for the wildlife, the people and the environment - and the importance of protecting these wild places - is not.

Written with his trademark wit and charm, Adventures of a Young Naturalist is not just the story of a remarkable adventure, but of the man who made us fall in love with the natural world, and who is still doing so today.]]>
398 David Attenborough 1473664403 Ai-lin 0 currently-reading 4.27 2017 Adventures of a Young Naturalist: The Zoo Quest Expeditions
author: David Attenborough
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/01/07
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
Fatherland 56842
The naked body of an old man floats in a lake on the outskirts of Berlin. In one week it will be Adolf Hitler’s 75th birthday. A terrible conspiracy is starting to unravel�

What if Hitler had won?

Fatherland is set in an alternative world where Hitler has won the Second World War. It is April 1964 and one week before Hitler's 75th birthday. Xavier March, a detective of the Kriminalpolizei, is called out to investigate the discovery of a dead body in a lake near Berlin's most prestigious suburb.

As March discovers the identity of the body, he uncovers signs of a conspiracy that could go to the very top of the German Reich. And, with the Gestapo just one step behind, March, together with an American journalist, is caught up in a race to discover and reveal the truth -- a truth that has already killed, a truth that could topple governments, a truth that will change history.]]>
380 Robert Harris 0061006629 Ai-lin 3 4.01 1992 Fatherland
author: Robert Harris
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1992
rating: 3
read at: 2017/11/20
date added: 2017/11/20
shelves:
review:

]]>
The Final Reckoning 2498187
A suspected suicide bomber shot by UN security staff, a hidden brotherhood that has caused hundreds of unexplained deaths. Tom must unlock a secret buried for more than sixty years.]]>
552 Sam Bourne 0007266499 Ai-lin 3 Having been recommended and also read Sam Bourne's two earlier books, I was expecting another book which is a little heavy on times with many twists, turns and sub plots.

However, this book is quite a refreshing change. Though it does revolve around a rather solemn subject matter and it is not all fiction,it is quite an easy and good read. For me, in this book, the author is better at leading the reader through the plot.

It has been a while since I have read a book where I want to find out what actually happened and how the book is going to end.

So I would recommend this!]]>
3.80 2008 The Final Reckoning
author: Sam Bourne
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2008/09/01
date added: 2017/10/25
shelves:
review:

Having been recommended and also read Sam Bourne's two earlier books, I was expecting another book which is a little heavy on times with many twists, turns and sub plots.

However, this book is quite a refreshing change. Though it does revolve around a rather solemn subject matter and it is not all fiction,it is quite an easy and good read. For me, in this book, the author is better at leading the reader through the plot.

It has been a while since I have read a book where I want to find out what actually happened and how the book is going to end.

So I would recommend this!
]]>
<![CDATA[The Last Testament (Maggie Costello, #1)]]> 1201589 567 Sam Bourne 0007203330 Ai-lin 3 3.64 2007 The Last Testament (Maggie Costello, #1)
author: Sam Bourne
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/10/25
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Kings & Queens: The Concise Guide]]> 1851257 480 Richard Cavendish 0715323768 Ai-lin 3 4.06 2006 Kings & Queens: The Concise Guide
author: Richard Cavendish
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/09/22
shelves: currently-reading, shelved-away
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion]]> 29100194 New York Post Best Book of 2016.

We often think of our capacity to experience the suffering of others as the ultimate source of goodness. Many of our wisest policy-makers, activists, scientists, and philosophers agree that the only problem with empathy is that we don’t have enough of it.

Nothing could be farther from the truth, argues Yale researcher Paul Bloom. In Against Empathy, Bloom reveals empathy to be one of the leading motivators of inequality and immorality in society. Far from helping us to improve the lives of others, empathy is a capricious and irrational emotion that appeals to our narrow prejudices. It muddles our judgment and, ironically, often leads to cruelty. We are at our best when we are smart enough not to rely on it, but to draw instead upon a more distanced compassion.

Basing his argument on groundbreaking scientific findings, Bloom makes the case that some of the worst decisions made by individuals and nations—who to give money to, when to go to war, how to respond to climate change, and who to imprison—are too often motivated by honest, yet misplaced, emotions. With precision and wit, he demonstrates how empathy distorts our judgment in every aspect of our lives, from philanthropy and charity to the justice system; from medical care and education to parenting and marriage. Without empathy, Bloom insists, our decisions would be clearer, fairer, and—yes—ultimately more moral.

Brilliantly argued, urgent and humane, Against Empathy shows us that, when it comes to both major policy decisions and the choices we make in our everyday lives, limiting our impulse toward empathy is often the most compassionate choice we can make.]]>
285 Paul Bloom 0062339338 Ai-lin 0 to-read 3.56 2016 Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion
author: Paul Bloom
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/09/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
Conclave 29397486
Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world’s most secretive election.

They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals.

Over the next seventy-two hours one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth.]]>
288 Robert Harris Ai-lin 0 to-read 4.02 2016 Conclave
author: Robert Harris
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/09/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[To Kill the President (Maggie Costello, #3)]]> 34524050 If a president is out of control
Who will take the ultimate step?

The unthinkable has happened. The United States has elected a volatile demagogue as president, backed by his ruthless chief strategist, Crawford Mac� McNamara.

When a war of words with the North Korean regime spirals out of control and the President comes perilously close to launching a nuclear attack, it's clear someone has to act, or the world will be reduced to ashes.

Soon Maggie Costello, a seasoned Washington operator and avowed liberal, discovers an inside plot to kill the president and faces the ultimate moral dilemma. Should she save the president and leave the free world at the mercy of an increasingly crazed would-be tyrant or commit treason against her Commander in Chief and risk plunging the country into a civil war?]]>
410 Sam Bourne 0007413734 Ai-lin 3 3.63 2017 To Kill the President (Maggie Costello, #3)
author: Sam Bourne
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/09/22
shelves:
review:

]]>
My Sister’s Keeper 10917 New York Times best-selling author Jodi Picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness.

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age 13 she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate—a life and a role that she has never challenged ... until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister—and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.

My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart or let others lead you? Once again, in My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult tackles a controversial real-life subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity.]]>
423 Jodi Picoult 0743454537 Ai-lin 4 4.10 2004 My Sister’s Keeper
author: Jodi Picoult
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten: 100 Experiments for the Armchair Philosopher]]> 282758 320 Julian Baggini 0452287448 Ai-lin 0 currently-reading 3.74 2005 The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten: 100 Experiments for the Armchair Philosopher
author: Julian Baggini
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/08/03
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Templar Inheritance (John Hart, #2)]]> 23398550 Following onĚýTemplar Prophecy, another adventure for John Hart—Guardian of the Lance

May 2013: A bomb goes off near a roadside cafĂ© in As Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. Veteran photojournalist John Hart and his 27-year-old Kurdish Christian translator, Nalan Abuna, are caught up in the explosion—an explosion which is to become the trigger for a series of high-stakes events. May 1198: John Hart's ancestor, Johannes von Hartelius, discovers that The Copper Scroll, the most prized possession of the Knight's Templars, has been stolen and is about to be used to help raise an army for a Fourth Crusade. When decoded, The Copper Scroll is expected to hold the secret of Solomon's Treasures, together with the key to the building of a new Temple of Solomon in the Holy Land. May 2013: John Hart discovers a secret message from Johannes von Hartelius inside the Holy Spear, indicating the possible location of The Copper Scroll in a hollow mountain, known as Solomon's Prison, in Iran. John Hart sets out to retrieve the scroll, echoing Hartelius' epic battle, almostĚý1,000 years earlier.]]>
320 Mario Reading 1782395334 Ai-lin 2 3.55 2015 The Templar Inheritance (John Hart, #2)
author: Mario Reading
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2016/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]>
Head of State 22524719 The debut novel by Britain’s most celebrated pundit, a gleefully twisted take on 10 Downing StreetĚý

It’s September 2017, and the United Kingdom is on the verge of a crucial referendum that will determine, once and for all, if the country remains a member of the European Union or goes its own way. But, unsuspected by the electorate, and unknown to all but a handful of members of the Prime Minister’s innermost circle, there is a shocking secret at the very heart of government that could change everything in an instant. A group of ruthlessly determined individuals will stop at nothing—including murder—to prevent that from happening.Ěý
Andrew Marr’s first novel is a darkly comic tale of deception and skullduggery at Downing Street and Whitehall. Making full use of his unrivalled inside knowledge of the British political scene, Marr has created a sparkling entertainment, a wholly original depiction of Westminster and its denizens, and a fascinating, irreverent glimpse behind the parliamentary curtain.Ěý]]>
384 Andrew Marr 1468310569 Ai-lin 4 2.89 2014 Head of State
author: Andrew Marr
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 2.89
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2016/06/03
date added: 2016/06/03
shelves:
review:
Written in 2014 about EU Referendum. British satire, an entertaining read.
]]>
The Origin of Species 22463
Yet The Origin of Species (1859) is also a humane and inspirational vision of ecological interrelatedness, revealing the complex mutual interdependencies between animal and plant life, climate and physical environment, and—by implication—within the human world.

Written for the general reader, in a style which combines the rigour of science with the subtlety of literature, The Origin of Species remains one of the founding documents of the modern age.]]>
703 Charles Darwin Ai-lin 3 4.01 1859 The Origin of Species
author: Charles Darwin
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1859
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2016/05/28
shelves:
review:
Read this in parts for a college assignment. It is a good read but much prefer Alfred Wallace's 'Malay Archipelago'.
]]>
The Selfish Gene 61535 360 Richard Dawkins 0199291152 Ai-lin 3 4.15 1976 The Selfish Gene
author: Richard Dawkins
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1976
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2016/05/28
shelves:
review:
Interesting read and food for thought.
]]>
Blood Memory 80631
Though her colleagues know her as a world-class forensic odontologist, Cat lives a secret life. Plagued by nightmares, and deeply involved with a married homicide detective, Cat holds herself together with iron nerves and alcohol, using her work as a substitute for life.

But her family's secluded antebellum estate provides no sanctuary. When some of Cat's forensic chemicals are spilled in her childhood bedroom, two bloody footprints are revealed. This discovery sets in motion a quest to piece together Cat's past - buried memories that could tie her father's murder to the grisly deaths occurring in New Orleans in the present. For only by finding this remorseless killer can Cat save her sanity - and her life.]]>
800 Greg Iles 0743454154 Ai-lin 3 4.12 2005 Blood Memory
author: Greg Iles
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2016/05/28
shelves:
review:
Quite a good read and it feels almost as though it is written to be dramatised on the screen. Personally, Donald Sutherland would make a great Mr William Kirkland!
]]>
<![CDATA[The Murder Book (Alex Delaware, #16)]]> 172938
The nightmare begins when Alex receives a strange package in the mail with no return address. Inside is an ornate album filled with gruesome crime scene photos -- a homicide scrapbook entitled The Murder Book. Alex can find no reason for anyone to send him this compendium of death, but when Milo views the book, he is immediately shaken by one of the images: a young woman, tortured, strangled, and dumped near a freeway ramp. This was one of Milo's first cases as a rookie homicide cop: a vicious killing that he failed to solve, because just as he and his training partner began to make headway, the department closed them down. Being forced to abandon the young victim tormented Milo. But his fears prevented him from pursuing the truth, and over the years he managed to forget. Or so he thought.

Now, two decades later, someone has chosen to stir up the past. As Alex and Milo set out to uncover what really happened twenty years ago, their every move is followed and their lives are placed in jeopardy. The relentless investigation reaches deep into L.A.'s nerve-centers of power and wealth-past and present. While peeling back layer after layer of ugly secrets, they discover that the murder of one forgotten girl has chilling ramifications that extend far beyond the tragic loss of a single life.

A classic story of good and evil, sacrifice and sin, The Murder Book is a gripping page-turner that illuminates the darkest corridors of the human mind. It is a stunning tour de force.]]>
614 Jonathan Kellerman 0747265011 Ai-lin 4 3.94 2002 The Murder Book (Alex Delaware, #16)
author: Jonathan Kellerman
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/11/24
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Lighthouse (Adam Dalgliesh, #13)]]> 3826 383 P.D. James 0307275736 Ai-lin 3 3.81 2005 The Lighthouse (Adam Dalgliesh, #13)
author: P.D. James
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2015/11/06
shelves:
review:
A nice paperback to read on travels. Nicely paced thriller.
]]>
<![CDATA[Cyfres Stori Sydyn: Ar Ben y Byd (Welsh Edition)]]> 7675294 0 Shane Williams 1847711138 Ai-lin 0 shelved-away 4.50 Cyfres Stori Sydyn: Ar Ben y Byd (Welsh Edition)
author: Shane Williams
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2015/11/06
date added: 2015/11/06
shelves: shelved-away
review:

]]>
The Malay Archipelago 99629 544 Alfred Russel Wallace 9625936459 Ai-lin 3 shelved-away, to-read 4.22 1869 The Malay Archipelago
author: Alfred Russel Wallace
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1869
rating: 3
read at: 2015/11/06
date added: 2015/11/06
shelves: shelved-away, to-read
review:
I have read 3/4 way through and it is interesting on parts. However, it does take some patience to get through. A book will re-read at some point.
]]>
<![CDATA[South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-1917]]> 143999
In an epic struggle of man versus the elements, Shackleton leads his team on a harrowing quest for survival over some of the most unforgiving terrain in the world. Icy, tempestuous seas full of gargantuan waves, mountainous glaciers and icebergs, unending brutal cold, and ever-looming starvation are their mortal foes as Shackleton and his men struggle to stay alive.

What happened to those brave men forever stands as a testament to their strength of will and the power of human endurance.

This is their story, as told by the man who led them.]]>
374 Ernest Shackleton 0712664122 Ai-lin 1 shelved-away 4.23 1919 South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-1917
author: Ernest Shackleton
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1919
rating: 1
read at: 2015/11/06
date added: 2015/11/06
shelves: shelved-away
review:
It is a laborious read and only recommended to those who like the clinical details of polar expeditions. Regrettably, I could not get into the book and eventually gave up.
]]>
<![CDATA[Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic]]> 139128 288 Alfred Lansing 0786708425 Ai-lin 0 shelved-away 4.57 1959 Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic
author: Alfred Lansing
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1959
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/09/05
shelves: shelved-away
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Chemistry of Death (David Hunter, #1)]]> 46465
The village of Manham is tight-knit, far from the beaten path. As a newcomer, Dr. Hunter is immediately a suspect. Once an expert in analyzing human remains, he reluctantly joins the police investigation—and when another woman disappears, it soon becomes personal. Because this time she is someone David knows, someone who has managed to penetrate the icy barrier around his heart. With a killer’s bizarre and twisted methods screaming out to him, with a brooding countryside beset with suspicion, David can feel the darkness gathering around him. For as the clock ticks down on a young woman’s life, David must follow a macabre trail of clues—all the way to its final, horrifying conclusion.]]>
313 Simon Beckett 0385340044 Ai-lin 4 4.16 2006 The Chemistry of Death (David Hunter, #1)
author: Simon Beckett
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2015/09/05
date added: 2015/09/05
shelves:
review:

]]>
Monster (Alex Delaware, #13) 172913 511 Jonathan Kellerman 3442448182 Ai-lin 4 3.93 1999 Monster (Alex Delaware, #13)
author: Jonathan Kellerman
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/08/23
shelves:
review:

]]>
How to Be a Bad Birdwatcher 904762 208 Simon Barnes 1904977057 Ai-lin 4 3.79 2004 How to Be a Bad Birdwatcher
author: Simon Barnes
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2015/08/23
date added: 2015/08/23
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Keeping The Dead (Rizzoli & Isles, #7)]]> 7557279 When an ancient mummy is discovered in the basement of a museum in downtown Boston, excitement starts to mount. Under the glare of a media frenzy, the mummy is taken to hospital for a CT scan. Forensic pathologist Maura Isles is invited to attend.

HE KILLS
As the CT scan proceeds everyone in the room leans in—and gasps in horror as an image of a bullet is revealed. Maura declares it a possible homicide, and calls in detective Jane Rizzoli.

HE KEEPS
When the preserved body of a second victim is found, and then a third, it becomes clear that taking lives is not enough for this terrifying killer. And that unless Rizzoli and Isles can find and stop him, he will soon be adding yet another chilling piece to his monstrous collection.]]>
446 Tess Gerritsen 0553818376 Ai-lin 4 3.95 2008 Keeping The Dead (Rizzoli & Isles, #7)
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2010/03/13
date added: 2015/06/09
shelves:
review:

]]>
Next 847997 Fast, furious, and out of control.

This is not the world of the future --- it's the world right now.

Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blondes becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only 400 genes; is that why an adult human being resembles a chimp fetus? And should that worry us? There's a new genetic cure for drug addiction --- is it worse than the disease?

We live in a time of momentous scientific leaps; a time when it's possible to sell our eggs and sperm online for thousands of dollars; test our spouses for genetic maladies and even frame someone for a genetic crime.

We live in a time when one fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else, and an unsuspecting person and his family can be pursued cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes within their chromosomes ...

Devilishly clever, Next blends fact and fiction into a breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems, and a set of new possibilities can open at every turn. Next challenges our sense of reality and notions of morality. Balancing the comic and bizarre with the genuinely frightening and disturbing, Next shatters our assumptions, and reveals shocking new choices where we least expect.

The future is closer than you think. Get used to it.

]]>
522 Michael Crichton 0007241003 Ai-lin 2 3.27 2006 Next
author: Michael Crichton
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2006
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2015/04/07
shelves:
review:

]]>
The Book Thief 893136
YOU ARE GOING TO DIE.

1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier.

Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with her foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.

SOME MORE IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

THIS NOVEL IS NARRATED BY DEATH.

It's a small story, about:
a girl
an accordionist
some fanatical Germans
a Jewish fistfighter
and quite a lot of thievery.

ANOTHER THING YOU SHOULD KNOW:

DEATH WILL VISIT THE BOOK THIEF THREE TIMES.]]>
554 Markus Zusak 0552773891 Ai-lin 3 4.43 2005 The Book Thief
author: Markus Zusak
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 2008/03/01
date added: 2015/03/26
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Murder Room (Adam Dalgliesh, #12)]]> 443291
Commander Adam Dalgliesh is already acquainted with the Dupayne—a museum dedicated to the interwar years, with a room celebrating the most notorious murders of that time—when he is called to investigate the killing of one of the family trustees. He soon discovers that the victim was seeking to close the museum against the wishes of the fellow trustees and the Dupayne's devoted staff. Everyone, it seems, has something to gain from the crime. When it becomes clear that the murderer has been inspired by the real-life crimes from the murder room—and is preparing to kill again—Dalgliesh knows that to solve this case he has to get into the mind of a ruthless killer.]]>
415 P.D. James 1400076099 Ai-lin 3 3.82 2003 The Murder Room (Adam Dalgliesh, #12)
author: P.D. James
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 2015/01/29
date added: 2015/02/01
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Watership Down (Watership Down, #1)]]> 76620 Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ISBN13 9780380395866 here.

Set in England's Downs, a once idyllic rural landscape, this stirring tale of adventure, courage and survival follows a band of very special creatures on their flight from the intrusion of man and the certain destruction of their home. Led by a stouthearted pair of friends, they journey forth from their native Sandleford Warren through the harrowing trials posed by predators and adversaries, to a mysterious promised land and a more perfect society.]]>
478 Richard Adams 038039586X Ai-lin 4 4.08 1972 Watership Down (Watership Down, #1)
author: Richard Adams
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1972
rating: 4
read at: 2015/01/04
date added: 2015/01/04
shelves:
review:

]]>
A Right to Roam 8370332 But any such 'right to roam' will be fiercely resisted by some. What would it really mean for agriculture, forestry and wildlife, as well as recreation? Who would benefit and who would lose out? This illuminating book answers these questions and places them in what turns out to be a fascinating historical, philosophical, and political context. The result provides essential reading for anyone concerned about the balance of power in a changing Britain as well as the fate of our countryside.]]> 447 Marion Shoard 0192880160 Ai-lin 4 3.50 1999 A Right to Roam
author: Marion Shoard
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at: 2015/01/04
date added: 2015/01/04
shelves:
review:

]]>
Scott and Amundsen 338824 600 Roland Huntford 0349113955 Ai-lin 3 4.29 1979 Scott and Amundsen
author: Roland Huntford
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1979
rating: 3
read at: 2012/07/15
date added: 2014/11/15
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Calcio: A History of Italian Football]]> 1264376 592 John Foot 0007175752 Ai-lin 0 to-read 4.18 2006 Calcio: A History of Italian Football
author: John Foot
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/10/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
Travels with Herodotus 59664
Just out of university in 1955, Kapuscinski told his editor that he’d like to go abroad. Dreaming no farther than Czechoslovakia, the young reporter found himself sent to India. Wide-eyed and captivated, he would discover in those days his life’s work—to understand and describe the world in its remotest reaches, in all its multiplicity. From the rituals of sunrise at Persepolis to the incongruity of Louis Armstrong performing before a stone-faced crowd in Khartoum, Kapuscinski gives us the non-Western world as he first saw it, through still-virginal Western eyes.

The companion on his a volume of Herodotus, a gift from his first boss. Whether in China, Poland, Iran, or the Congo, it was the “father of history”—and, as Kapuscinski would realize, of globalism—who helped the young correspondent to make sense of events, to find the story where it did not obviously exist. It is this great forerunner’s spirit—both supremely worldly and innately Occidental—that would continue to whet Kapuscinski’s ravenous appetite for discovering the broader world and that has made him our own indispensable companion on any leg of that perpetual journey.]]>
288 Ryszard Kapuściński 1400043387 Ai-lin 3 4.07 2004 Travels with Herodotus
author: Ryszard Kapuściński
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/06/07
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Exit Music (Inspector Rebus, #17)]]> 1197929 400 Ian Rankin 0752868608 Ai-lin 4
I will miss Rebus and all this meanderings in Edinburgh.]]>
4.17 2007 Exit Music (Inspector Rebus, #17)
author: Ian Rankin
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2008/10/29
date added: 2014/06/04
shelves:
review:
A very good read and a befitting exit for Rebus. I find this book a lot less brooding and dark than the others.

I will miss Rebus and all this meanderings in Edinburgh.
]]>
How to Be Wild 2403084 Simon Barnes 282 Simon Barnes 1904977979 Ai-lin 4 3.59 2007 How to Be Wild
author: Simon Barnes
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2014/03/23
date added: 2014/03/23
shelves:
review:
Witty. Philosophical and takes you on your own journey.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Diversity of Life (Questions of Science)]]> 503051 432 Edward O. Wilson 0393319407 Ai-lin 4 4.22 1992 The Diversity of Life (Questions of Science)
author: Edward O. Wilson
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/03/02
shelves:
review:

]]>
Life of Pi 4214 460 Yann Martel 0770430074 Ai-lin 4 3.94 2001 Life of Pi
author: Yann Martel
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2014/02/12
date added: 2014/02/13
shelves:
review:

]]>
Mr. Clarinet (Max Mingus, #1) 1169991
Sure, Max had been the best detective in Miami once. But that was eight years back. Before he served time for killing a pair of junkie child-murderers. Before his wife, Sandra, died. Plus, he’d heard what had happened to the other PI’s sent to Haiti before him—all dead, or their lives permanently screwed up, without ever getting close to finding Charlie Carver.

But with nothing left to lose—and for all that money—Max does go down there. The talk of voodoo and black magic is nothing compared to the haunting quiet of his own empty house. What Max doesn’t count on is the depth of corruption, manipulation, and greed Haiti breeds in its inhabitants, a murky evil worse than death, which can easily swallow a man whole—especially a troubled man like Max Mingus.

When the trail to Charlie Carver points to a local myth—“Mr. Clarinet,� a spirit figure who for decades is said to have been tempting children away from their families—could the truth be even more shocking than the legend? Max’s job suddenly isn’t all about finding the boy, his killers, or the money—it’s about just staying alive…]]>
448 Nick Stone 0060897295 Ai-lin 3 3.76 2006 Mr. Clarinet (Max Mingus, #1)
author: Nick Stone
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/02/02
shelves:
review:

]]>
The Places in Between 95643 299 Rory Stewart 0156031566 Ai-lin 4 3.94 2004 The Places in Between
author: Rory Stewart
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2014/01/19
date added: 2014/01/19
shelves:
review:
Beautifully written and a very enjoyable read.
]]>
<![CDATA[Trees & Woodland in the British Landscape: The Complete History of Britain's Trees, Woods & Hedgerows]]> 156754 256 Oliver Rackham 1842124692 Ai-lin 3 4.02 1976 Trees & Woodland in the British Landscape: The Complete History of Britain's Trees, Woods & Hedgerows
author: Oliver Rackham
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1976
rating: 3
read at: 2014/01/05
date added: 2014/01/05
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Surgeon (Jane Rizzoli & Maura Isles, #1)]]> 7962783 The Surgeon, following several books that met with moderate success, is a gruesome and frightening story that should put Gerritsen among the top women thriller writers working today.

A serial killer is on the loose in Boston. The victims are killed in a particularly nasty way: cut with a scalpel on the stomach, the intestines and uterus removed, and then the throat slashed. The killer obviously has medical knowledge and has been dubbed "the Surgeon" by the media. Detective Thomas Moore and his partner Rizzoli of the Boston Homicide Unit have discovered something that makes this case even more chilling. Years ago in Savannah a serial killer murdered in exactly the same way. He was finally stopped by his last victim who shot him as he tried to cut her. That last victim is Dr Catherine Cordell, who now works as a cardiac surgeon at one of Boston's prestigious hospitals. As the murders continue, it becomes obvious that the killer is drawing closer and closer to Dr Cordell, who is becoming so frightened that she is virtually unable to function. But she is the only person who can help the police catch this copycat killer. Or is it a copycat? To complicate matters even further, Detective Moore, often referred to as Saint Thomas as he continues to mourn the loss of his wife, is getting emotionally involved with the doctor.

The suspense in The Surgeon is almost unbearable. The writing is superb and the stunning twists and turns make it almost impossible to put down. --Otto Penzler, Amazon.com

]]>
416 Tess Gerritsen 0553824554 Ai-lin 4 4.17 2001 The Surgeon (Jane Rizzoli & Maura Isles, #1)
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2010/07/01
date added: 2013/12/23
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Greek Myths: Stories of the Greek Gods and Heroes Vividly Retold]]> 13459749 320 Robin Waterfield 0857382888 Ai-lin 4 3.77 2011 The Greek Myths: Stories of the Greek Gods and Heroes Vividly Retold
author: Robin Waterfield
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2013/12/01
date added: 2013/12/01
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy, #1)]]> 7315573
This is an epic of love, hatred, war and revolution. This is a huge novel that follows five families through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for votes for women.
It is 1911. The Coronation Day of King George V. The Williams, a Welsh coal-mining family is linked by romance and enmity to the Fitzherberts, aristocratic coal-mine owners. Lady Maud Fitzherbert falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German Embassy in London. Their destiny is entangled with that of an ambitious young aide to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and to two orphaned Russian brothers, whose plans to emigrate to America fall foul of war, conscription and revolution. In a plot of unfolding drama and intriguing complexity, "Fall Of Giants" moves seamlessly from Washington to St Petersburg, from the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty.]]>
985 Ken Follett 0525951652 Ai-lin 3 4.31 2010 Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy, #1)
author: Ken Follett
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2013/10/19
date added: 2013/10/19
shelves:
review:

]]>
Panic 884204
It is then he realises his whole life has been a lie. His parents are not who he thought they were, his girlfriend is not who thought she was, his entire existence has been an ingeniously constructed sham. And now that he knows it, he is in terrible danger. Evan's only hope for survival is to discover the truth behind his past.]]>
405 Jeff Abbott 0751538310 Ai-lin 4 3.49 2005 Panic
author: Jeff Abbott
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2013/09/01
date added: 2013/09/23
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language]]> 12870068 252 Mark Forsyth Ai-lin 5 4.25 2011 The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
author: Mark Forsyth
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2013/09/15
date added: 2013/09/15
shelves:
review:
An enjoyable read. Witty & educational.
]]>
Fire Ice (NUMA Files, #3) 97595
Filled with all the hair-raising action and endless imagination that are Cussler's hallmarks, Fire Ice is a dazzling thriller from the grandmaster of adventure fiction.]]>
560 Clive Cussler 0425190641 Ai-lin 4 3.89 2002 Fire Ice (NUMA Files, #3)
author: Clive Cussler
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2013/08/16
date added: 2013/08/16
shelves:
review:

]]>
Dŵr Dwfn 2862262 80 Conn Iggulden 1843236893 Ai-lin 0 to-read 4.00 2006 Dŵr Dwfn
author: Conn Iggulden
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/08/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
Dark Lady 1038253 448 Patterson Richard North 0345439066 Ai-lin 3 3.64 1999 Dark Lady
author: Patterson Richard North
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.64
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2013/08/03
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[How Are We to Live?: Ethics in an Age of Self-Interest]]> 885503 272 Peter Singer 0879759666 Ai-lin 0 to-read 3.88 1993 How Are We to Live?: Ethics in an Age of Self-Interest
author: Peter Singer
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1993
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/08/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
The Eight (The Eight, #1) 113310 598 Katherine Neville 0345366239 Ai-lin 4 3.94 1988 The Eight (The Eight, #1)
author: Katherine Neville
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at: 2013/07/09
date added: 2013/07/09
shelves:
review:

]]>
Eye of the Needle 92364 One enemy spy knows the secret to the Allies' greatest deception, a brilliant aristocrat and ruthless assassin -- code name: "The Needle" -- who holds the key to ultimate Nazi victory.

Only one person stands in his way: a lonely Englishwoman on an isolated island, who is beginning to love the killer who has mysteriously entered her life.

All will come to a terrifying conclusion in Ken Follett's unsurpassed and unforgettable masterwork of suspense, intrigue, and the dangerous machinations of the human heart.

]]>
368 Ken Follett 006074815X Ai-lin 5 Really enjoyable read. 4.19 1978 Eye of the Needle
author: Ken Follett
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1978
rating: 5
read at: 2013/06/16
date added: 2013/06/16
shelves:
review:
Really enjoyable read.
]]>
Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale 485440
By turns funny, moving, tender, and inspiring, Gracie's tale is a treat for every dog lover. There is Gracie's first morning, racing around Dan in the snowy yard. Gracie's first determination to prove to her step-sisters, Dottie the Dalmatian and Sarah the Black Lab, that she's one of the girls. Gracie's defiant romance with a pint-size charmer named Byron, a Boston Terrier from the wrong side of the fence.

Then born of necessity, the eureka moment: When Gracie's delicate constitution starts turning into anorexia, Dan teaches himself how to cook, and in three days is baking her the cookies that will spur her appetite, launch Three Dog Bakery, and transform their lives forever.

Courage. Compassion. Kindness. Soul. Tenacity. And joy, above all, joy. These qualities Gracie possessed in abundance, and shared with everyone, human or canine, who had the good fortune to cross her path.]]>
248 Mark Beckloff 0761129758 Ai-lin 5 4.20 2000 Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale
author: Mark Beckloff
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2013/06/08
date added: 2013/06/08
shelves:
review:
A good read to put a smile on your face. Heart warming. Made me shed a few tears at the end.
]]>
The Road to Gandolfo 31262 General Mackenzie Hawkins, legend, hero, rogue. Sam Devereaux, bright young lawyer from Harvard, now in the army, can't wait to get out. General Hawkin's four ex-wives, a quartet of incredibly endowed women who've formed a club: Hawkin's Harem.

THE PREMISE: Kidnap Pope Francesco I, the most beloved pontiff since John XX III.

RANSOM: One American dollar for every Catholic in the world.

THE PROBLEM: Pope Francesco I says: "Gentle souls, why not?"]]>
320 Robert Ludlum 0553271091 Ai-lin 2 3.64 1975 The Road to Gandolfo
author: Robert Ludlum
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.64
book published: 1975
rating: 2
read at: 2013/06/03
date added: 2013/06/03
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Twelfth Card (Lincoln Rhyme, #6)]]> 106312
Assisted by Fred Dellray, Mel Cooper and Lon Sellitto (suffering from a severe case of shattered nerves due to a near miss by the killer), Rhyme and partner Amelia Sachs work frantically to learn who the hit man and his partner are and when they will strike next, all the while trying to crack a very “cold� case: Rhyme believes that Geneva may have been targeted because of a paper she’s writing about her ancestor, Charles Singleton, a former slave who was instrumental in the civil rights movement in the 1860s, but who was arrested for theft and disgraced.

In his correspondence Charles wrote about a “secret,� that could have tragic consequences if revealed. This secret, which Rhyme is convinced will provide the key to why Geneva is in danger, revolves around some mysterious doings in the area known as Gallows Heights, a neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan that in the 1860s was a tense mix of wealthy financiers, civil rights leaders, political crooks like Boss Tweed, and working-class laborers and thugs. What was the truth behind the crime Charles was accused of? And what was his secret? Does it have to do with stolen gold? Or does it have a far broader implications?]]>
816 Jeffery Deaver 0739455834 Ai-lin 0 to-read 3.99 2005 The Twelfth Card (Lincoln Rhyme, #6)
author: Jeffery Deaver
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/05/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Tale of the Body Thief (The Vampire Chronicles, #4)]]> 31336 Interview with the Vampire. For centuries, Lestat—vampire-hero, enchanter, seducer of mortals—has been a courted prince in the dark and flourishing universe of the living dead. Now he is alone. And in his overwhelming need to destroy his doubts and his loneliness, Lestat embarks on the most dangerous enterprise he has undertaken in all the years of his haunted existence.
Ěý
Praise for The Tale of the Body Thief
Ěý
“Tinged with mystery, full of drama . . . The story is involving, the twists surprising.��People
Ěý
“Rice is our modern messenger of the occult, whose nicely updated dark-side passion plays twist and turn in true Gothic form.��San Francisco Chronicle
Ěý
“Fast-paced . . . . mesmerizing . . . silkenly sensuous . . . No one writing today matches her deftness with the erotic.��The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ěý
“Hypnotic . . . masterful.��Cosmopolitan


From the Paperback edition.]]>
464 Anne Rice 0345419634 Ai-lin 0 to-read 3.76 1992 The Tale of the Body Thief (The Vampire Chronicles, #4)
author: Anne Rice
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/05/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
Sail 2029176 Anne manages to pull things together bit by bit, but just as they begin feeling like a family again, something catastrophic happens. Survival may be the least of their concerns.
Written with the blistering pace and shocking twists that only James Patterson can master, Sail takes "Lost" and "Survivor" to a new level of terror.

]]>
388 James Patterson 0316018708 Ai-lin 0 to-read 3.82 2008 Sail
author: James Patterson
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/05/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[A Cold Heart (Alex Delaware, #17)]]> 172918
Delaware's suspicions are borne out when he and Milo find there's a link between the artist's death and the murder of a noted blues guitarist. The twisting trail leads from halfway houses to palatial mansions, and from a college campus to the last place Alex ever expected: the doorstep of his ex-lover Robin Castagna. As more killings are discovered, unraveling the maddening puzzle assumes a chilling new importance --- stopping a vicious psychopath who's made cold-blood murder his chosen art form.]]>
413 Jonathan Kellerman 0345452569 Ai-lin 0 to-read 3.86 2003 A Cold Heart (Alex Delaware, #17)
author: Jonathan Kellerman
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/05/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
The Lucifer Code 857546
Oblivion. Or so believes Dr Miles Fleming, a brilliant, young neuroscientist who has developed a device capable of reading human brainwaves. But when his own brother contacts him after being certified dead for six whole minutes, Fleming wonders if he's got it all wrong.

His search for the truth uncovers a terrifying religious conspiracy to stage the most ambitious experiment the world has ever seen - to prove beyond doubt the existence of a heaven or a hell. As the world awaits the final judgement, Fleming must confront his own demons to save not only his own soul but that of all humanity.

THE LUCIFER CODE pits the faith of religion against the certainty of science in a heartstopping thriller which explores our deepest fears.]]>
448 Michael Cordy 0552154474 Ai-lin 4 3.73 2001 The Lucifer Code
author: Michael Cordy
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2013/05/26
date added: 2013/05/26
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Road Less Travelled and Beyond]]> 3709907 352 M. Scott Peck 0712671501 Ai-lin 0 to-read 3.82 1997 The Road Less Travelled and Beyond
author: M. Scott Peck
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1997
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/05/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
The Day of the Jackal 540020 Librarian note: an alternate cover for this edition can be found here.

The Jackal. A tall, blond Englishman with opaque, gray eyes. A killer at the top of his profession. A man unknown to any secret service in theĚý world. An assassin with a contract to kill the world's most heavily guarded man.

OneĚý man with a rifle who can change the course of history. One man whose mission is so secretive notĚýeven his employers know his name. And as theĚýminutes count down to the final act of execution, itĚýseems that there is no power on earth that can stopĚýthe Jackal.]]>
358 Frederick Forsyth Ai-lin 3 4.27 1971 The Day of the Jackal
author: Frederick Forsyth
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1971
rating: 3
read at: 2013/05/03
date added: 2013/05/03
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less]]> 78982
A brilliant, self-made guru of deceit. A very dangerous individual. And now, a hunted man.

With nothing left to lose four strangers are about to come together-each expert in their own field. Their plan: find Harvey, shadow him, trap him, and penny-for-penny, destroy him. From the luxurious casinos of Monte Carlo to the high-stakes windows at Ascot to the bustling streets of Wall Street to fashionable London galleries, their own ingenious game has begun. It's called revenge-and they were taught by a master.
]]>
305 Jeffrey Archer 0312997132 Ai-lin 4 4.04 1976 Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less
author: Jeffrey Archer
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1976
rating: 4
read at: 2013/04/12
date added: 2013/04/12
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[World Without End (Kingsbridge, #2)]]> 5064 Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

World Without End takes place in the same town of Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building the exquisite Gothic cathedral that was at the heart of The Pillars of the Earth. The cathedral and the priory are again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge, but this sequel stands on its own. This time the men and women of an extraordinary cast of characters find themselves at a crossroads of new ideas—about medicine, commerce, architecture, and justice. In a world where proponents of the old ways fiercely battle those with progressive minds, the intrigue and tension quickly reach a boiling point against the devastating backdrop of the greatest natural disaster ever to strike the human race—the Black Death.]]>
1237 Ken Follett Ai-lin 4 4.30 2007 World Without End (Kingsbridge, #2)
author: Ken Follett
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/04/11
shelves:
review:

]]>
Ecce Homo 479356 144 Friedrich Nietzsche 0140445153 Ai-lin 0 to-read, shelved-away 3.87 1908 Ecce Homo
author: Friedrich Nietzsche
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1908
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/03/10
shelves: to-read, shelved-away
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1)]]> 5043 Ken Follett is known worldwide as the master of split-second suspense, but his most beloved and bestselling book tells the magnificent tale of a twelfth-century monk driven to do the seemingly impossible: build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known.

Everything readers expect from Follett is here: intrigue, fast-paced action, and passionate romance. But what makes The Pillars of the Earth extraordinary is the time the twelfth century; the place feudal England; and the subject the building of a glorious cathedral. Follett has re-created the crude, flamboyant England of the Middle Ages in every detail. The vast forests, the walled towns, the castles, and the monasteries become a familiar landscape.

Against this richly imagined and intricately interwoven backdrop, filled with the ravages of war and the rhythms of daily life, the master storyteller draws the reader irresistibly into the intertwined lives of his characters into their dreams, their labors, and their loves: Tom, the master builder; Aliena, the ravishingly beautiful noblewoman; Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge; Jack, the artist in stone; and Ellen, the woman of the forest who casts a terrifying curse. From humble stonemason to imperious monarch, each character is brought vividly to life.

The building of the cathedral, with the almost eerie artistry of the unschooled stonemasons, is the center of the drama. Around the site of the construction, Follett weaves a story of betrayal, revenge, and love, which begins with the public hanging of an innocent man and ends with the humiliation of a king.

For the TV tie-in edition with the same ISBN go to this Alternate Cover Edition
]]>
976 Ken Follett 045122213X Ai-lin 5 4.34 1989 The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1)
author: Ken Follett
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.34
book published: 1989
rating: 5
read at: 2013/03/10
date added: 2013/03/10
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The House of Silk (Horowitz's Holmes, #1)]]> 11093329
Once again, THE GAME’S AFOOT�

London, 1890. 221B Baker St. A fine art dealer named Edmund Carstairs visits Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson to beg for their help. He is being menaced by a strange man in a flat cap � a wanted criminal who seems to have followed him all the way from America. In the days that follow, his home is robbed, his family is threatened. And then the first murder takes place.

Almost unwillingly, Holmes and Watson find themselves being drawn ever deeper into an international conspiracy connected to the teeming criminal underworld of Boston, the gaslit streets of London, opium dens and much, much more. And as they dig, they begin to hear the whispered phrase-the House of Silk-a mysterious entity that connects the highest levels of government to the deepest depths of criminality. Holmes begins to fear that he has uncovered a conspiracy that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of society.

The Arthur Conan Doyle Estate chose the celebrated, #1 New York Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz to write The House of Silk because of his proven ability to tell a transfixing story and for his passion for all things Holmes. Destined to become an instant classic, The House of Silk brings Sherlock Holmes back with all the nuance, pacing, and almost superhuman powers of analysis and deduction that made him the world’s greatest detective, in a case depicting events too shocking, too monstrous to ever appear in print…until now.
(front flap)]]>
294 Anthony Horowitz 0316196991 Ai-lin 4 3.96 2011 The House of Silk (Horowitz's Holmes, #1)
author: Anthony Horowitz
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2013/02/07
date added: 2013/02/07
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Making of the Tudor Dynasty]]> 1823239 272 Ralph A. Griffiths 0750937769 Ai-lin 4 3.90 1985 The Making of the Tudor Dynasty
author: Ralph A. Griffiths
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1985
rating: 4
read at: 2013/01/12
date added: 2013/01/12
shelves:
review:

]]>
Y Bradwr 4651466 64 Bob Eynon 0000677302 Ai-lin 4 4.00 1997 Y Bradwr
author: Bob Eynon
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2013/01/12
date added: 2013/01/12
shelves:
review:

]]>
The Taking 16434 The Taking.

On the morning that will mark the end of the world they have known, Molly and Niel Sloan awaken to the drumbeat of rain on their roof. It has haunted their sleep, invaded their dreams, and now they rise to find a luminous silvery downpour drenching their small California mountain town. A strange scent hangs faintly in the air, and the young couple cannot shake the sense of something wrong.

As hours pass and the rain continues to fall, Molly and Niel listen to disturbing news of extreme weather phenomena across the globe. Before evening, their little town loses television and radio reception. Then telephone and the Internet are gone. With the ceaseless rain now comes an obscuring fog that transforms the once-friendly village into a ghostly labyrinth. By nightfall the Sloans have gathered with some of their neighbors to deal with community damage...but also because they feel the need to band together against some unknown threat, some enemy they cannot identify or even imagine.

In the night, strange noises arise, and at a distance, in the rain and the mist, mysterious lights are seen drifting among the trees. The rain diminishes with the dawn, but a moody gray-purple twilight prevails. Soon Molly, Niel, and their small band of friends will be forced to draw on reserves of strength, courage, and humanity they never knew they had. For within the misty gloom they will encounter something that reveals in a terrifying instant what is happening to their world—something that is hunting them with ruthless efficiency. Epic in scope, searingly intimate and immediate in perspective, The Taking is an adventure story like no other, a relentless roller-coaster read that brings apocalypse to Main Street and showcases the talents of one of our most original and mesmerizing novelists at the pinnacle of his powers.


From the Hardcover edition.]]>
410 Dean Koontz 0553584502 Ai-lin 2 3.79 2004 The Taking
author: Dean Koontz
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2004
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2012/12/25
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Running with the Kenyans: Passion, Adventure, and the Secrets of the Fastest People on Earth]]> 13147812
Running with the Kenyans is more than one man’s pursuit of a lifelong dream. It’s a fascinating portrait of a magical country—and an extraordinary people seemingly born to run.

With a new Afterword by the author]]>
288 Adharanand Finn 0345528794 Ai-lin 0 to-read, to-buy 3.90 2010 Running with the Kenyans: Passion, Adventure, and the Secrets of the Fastest People on Earth
author: Adharanand Finn
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/12/25
shelves: to-read, to-buy
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Running for Their Lives: The Extraordinary Story of Britain's Greatest Ever Distance Runners]]> 13695438 368 Mark Whitaker 0224082582 Ai-lin 0 to-read, to-buy 3.90 2012 Running for Their Lives: The Extraordinary Story of Britain's Greatest Ever Distance Runners
author: Mark Whitaker
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/12/25
shelves: to-read, to-buy
review:

]]>
Ice Hunt 294044
But an American undersea research vessel has inadvertently pulled too close � and something has been sighted moving inside the allegedly deserted facility, something whose survival defies every natural law. And now, as scientists, soldiers, intelligence operatives, and unsuspecting civilians are drawn into Grendel’s lethal vortex, the most extreme measures possible will be undertaken to protect its dark mysteries � because the terrible truths locked behind submerged walls of ice and steel could end human life on Earth.]]>
509 James Rollins 0060521600 Ai-lin 4 4.05 2003 Ice Hunt
author: James Rollins
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2012/12/25
date added: 2012/12/25
shelves:
review:

]]>
The Truth 2014891 501 Peter James 0752816667 Ai-lin 3 3.59 1997 The Truth
author: Peter James
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.59
book published: 1997
rating: 3
read at: 2012/12/02
date added: 2012/12/02
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Judas Strain (Sigma Force, #4)]]> 294046 New York Times bestselling author James Rollins returns with a terrifying story of an ancient menace reborn to plague the modern world . . . and of an impossible hope that lies hidden in the most shocking place imaginable: within the language of angels. ju·das strain, n. A scientific term for an organism that drives an entire species to extinction.

From the depths of the Indian Ocean, a horrific plague has arisen to devastate humankind--a disease that's unknown, unstoppable . . . and deadly. But it is merely a harbinger of the doom that is to follow. Aboard a cruise liner transformed into a makeshift hospital, Dr. Lisa Cummings and Monk Kokkalis--operatives of SIGMA Force--search for answers to the bizarre affliction. But there are others with far less altruistic intentions. In a savage and sudden coup, terrorists hijack the vessel, turning a mercy ship into a floating bio-weapons lab.

A world away, SIGMA's Commander Gray Pierce thwarts the murderous schemes of a beautiful would-be killer who holds the first clue to the discovery of a possible cure. Pierce joins forces with the woman who wanted him dead, and together they embark upon an astonishing quest following the trail of the most fabled explorer in history: Marco Polo. But time is an enemy as a worldwide pandemic grows rapidly out of control. As a relentless madman dogs their every step, Gray and his unlikely ally are being pulled into an astonishing mystery buried deep in antiquity and in humanity's genetic code. And as the seconds tick closer to doomsday, Gray Pierce will realize he can truly trust no one, for any one of them could be . . . a Judas.

]]>
450 James Rollins 0060763892 Ai-lin 4 4.17 2007 The Judas Strain (Sigma Force, #4)
author: James Rollins
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2012/11/10
date added: 2012/11/10
shelves:
review:

]]>
Twilight 871223 316 Peter James 0752876791 Ai-lin 3 3.74 1991 Twilight
author: Peter James
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.74
book published: 1991
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2012/10/23
shelves:
review:

]]>
Relentless 4946005
What began as an innocent and unexpected encounter is about to trigger an inferno of violence. For Shearman Waxx is not merely a ferocious literary enemy, but a ruthless sociopath, and now he is intent on destroying Cubby and everything he holds dear: his home, his wife, his young son, and every hope he had in the world.

The terror has only just begun, and it will be relentless…]]>
356 Dean R. Koontz 0553807145 Ai-lin 3 3.77 2009 Relentless
author: Dean R. Koontz
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2010/02/06
date added: 2012/10/17
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Eric Liddell: Pure Gold : A New Biography of the Olympic Champion Who Inspired Chariots of Fire]]> 1749725 333 David McCasland 1572930519 Ai-lin 4 4.26 2001 Eric Liddell: Pure Gold : A New Biography of the Olympic Champion Who Inspired Chariots of Fire
author: David McCasland
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2012/09/30
date added: 2012/09/30
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Survival Of The Fittest: The Anatomy of Peak Physical Performance]]> 486024 The Challenge and SAS: Are You Tough Enough? - sets out the genetics, diet and exercise that enable humans to perform at their peak. Dr Stroud - polar explorer, practising hospital physician, and a former adviser to the Ministry of Defence - analyses individual feats of survival and athletic prowess that illustrate the way the body functions at its best. He dissects his own challenging experiences of crossing Antarctica with Ranulph Fiennes, running marathons in the Sahara and participating in gruelling cross-country endurance races in the United States and gives some tips on how to stay fit for life for those of us who find walking the dog an endurance challenge...

This revised edition includes the story of Dr Stroud and Sir Ranulph Fiennes' incredible 2003 global marathon challenge - seven marathons on seven continents in seven days - in aid of the British Heart Foundation.]]>
224 Mike Stroud 0224075071 Ai-lin 4 4.37 1998 Survival Of The Fittest: The Anatomy of Peak Physical Performance
author: Mike Stroud
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at: 2012/09/06
date added: 2012/09/06
shelves:
review:
This is not just a book for those into endurance sports or extreme adventures to the poles. It is a book that will help you view the physiological make up of you body differently, appreciate the mental strength that we are all capable of and can tap into,should we will it so. It also debunks, myths and beliefs we hold about what our body, its ills and how to get healthy, stay healthy. There really is no short cut and it really isn't that difficult to lead a healthier and active life, we were borned with all the right tools, we just need to stop abusing it, and do what we have evolved to do. Simple written. Witty on times, a great read.
]]>
The Secret of Crickley Hall 1250316
Would you live in a place where ghostly things keep happening? Where a cellar door you know you locked the night before is always open the following morning? Where hushed whimpering is heard? Where white shadows steal through the darkness? Where the presence of evil is all around you?

Would you? Should you?

The Caleighs did, but they had their reasons. They should have known better though. As the terror mounts, they begin to regret their decision. As the horror rises, they realise their very lives are at risk... and so it's their sanity. For the secret of Crickley Hall is beyond all nightmares...]]>
633 James Herbert 1405005203 Ai-lin 4 3.90 2006 The Secret of Crickley Hall
author: James Herbert
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/08/19
shelves:
review:

]]>
Mud, Sweat and Tears 10910164 352 Bear Grylls 190502648X Ai-lin 3 4.15 2011 Mud, Sweat and Tears
author: Bear Grylls
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2012/08/17
shelves:
review:
Not a bad read but I was a little disappointed as it felt as if it wasn't as engaging as I expected. The tone was part 'action man', part 'biography' and it felt as though I am reading the story of a 'character' , Bear Grylls embodies rather than a in-depth look at his life. Recommend it only if you follow his TV series and is a fan.
]]>
<![CDATA[It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life]]> 2265 294 Lance Armstrong 0425179613 Ai-lin 3 3.71 1999 It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life
author: Lance Armstrong
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2012/08/17
date added: 2012/08/17
shelves:
review:
I read this book on the recommendations of some friends and on the back of what little I know of Lance Amstrong as a cyclists and winner of many Tour De France. Though I have enjoyed in the book in parts, the book does not endear Lance Amstrong to me as a cancer survivor, a endurance athlete or as a person. Perhaps, the book is not well written. It has some heart felt moments but it didn't quite involve me in his personal journey. A good read, perhaps for those who are his fan.
]]>
Immortal (Ethan Warner #2) 12267601 “A combination of mystery, suspense, and unspeakable horror� (R.L. Stine), this bone-chilling thriller explores the question: What price would you pay for eternal life?

WOULD YOU KILL TO LIVE FOREVER?

When the body of a gunshot victim rolls into the Santa Fe morgue, it should be a d ay like any other for medical investigator Lillian Cruz. Yet upon examination, the corpse appears to be more than a hundred years old with smallpox scars, and an odd wound protrudes from the victim’s leg. Lodged in the femur, under decrepit scar tissue, is a bullet shaped like a musket ball. The bullet looks like it was fired during the Civil War and had remained in the victim’s leg ever since.

Rattled by the discovery, Cruz instructs her assistant to take specimens to the state authorities immediately and not to tell a soul about it. Minutes after the assistant leaves, the lights go dark in the morgue and Cruz is kidnapped.

The Defense Intelligence Agency calls in former war correspondent Ethan Warner and his partner, Nicola Lopez, to discreetly investigate the disappearance. And very quickly, a relatively simple case turns into something much more sinister. With each new lead they uncover, Warner and Lopez are inadvertently bringing a warped and dangerous individual closer to achieving a catastrophic goal: immortality.]]>
560 Dean Crawford 0857204726 Ai-lin 3 3.40 2012 Immortal (Ethan Warner #2)
author: Dean Crawford
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2012/08/15
date added: 2012/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage]]> 139069 The harrowing tale of British explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914 attempt to reach the South Pole, one of the greatest adventure stories of the modern age.

In August 1914, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton boarded the Endurance became locked in an island of ice. Thus began the legendary ordeal of Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven men. When their ship was finally crushed between two ice floes, they attempted a near-impossible journey over 850 miles of the South Atlantic's heaviest seas to the closest outpost of civilization.

In Endurance, the definitive account of Ernest Shackleton's fateful trip, Alfred Lansing brilliantly narrates the harrowing and miraculous voyage that has defined heroism for the modern age.

First edition: here.]]>
282 Alfred Lansing Ai-lin 3 4.42 1959 Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
author: Alfred Lansing
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1959
rating: 3
read at: 2012/08/11
date added: 2012/08/11
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Eat & Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness]]> 13202092
In Eat and Run, Jurek opens up about his life and career as a champion athlete with a plant-based diet and inspires runners at every level. From his Midwestern childhood hunting, fishing, and cooking for his meat-and-potatoes family to his slow transition to ultrarunning and veganism, Scott’s story shows the power of an iron will and blows apart the stereotypes of what athletes should eat to fuel optimal performance. Full of stories of competition as well as science and practical advice—including his own recipes—Eat and Run will motivate readers and expand their food horizons.]]>
272 Scott Jurek 0547569653 Ai-lin 4 3.99 2012 Eat & Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness
author: Scott Jurek
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2012/07/17
date added: 2012/07/17
shelves:
review:
It is more than just about running. It's about a journey and how running shaped that personal journey. A very honest and humble story from someone has has achieved much in the ultrarunning scene. It's a good read for those who love running for what it is.
]]>
The Complete Book of Running 146115 314 James Fixx 0394411595 Ai-lin 3 3.86 1977 The Complete Book of Running
author: James Fixx
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1977
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2012/03/08
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Arthur (The Pendragon Cycle, #3)]]> 539428 In a forgotten age of darkness a magnificent king arose to light the world.

They called him unfit to rule—a lowborn, callow boy, Uther's bastard. But his coming had been foretold in the songs of the bard Taliesin. He had learned the uses of power from his guide and protector, Merlin. He was Arthur, Pendragon of the Island of the Mighty—who would rise to legendary greatness in a Britain torn by violence, greed and war; the Lord of Summer who would usher in a glorious reign of peace and prosperity . . . and whose noble, trusting heart would be broken by treachery.]]>
446 Stephen R. Lawhead 0380708906 Ai-lin 4 4.02 1989 Arthur (The Pendragon Cycle, #3)
author: Stephen R. Lawhead
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1989
rating: 4
read at: 2012/02/01
date added: 2012/03/08
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[The Final Detail (Myron Bolitar, #6)]]> 740746
In The Final Detail Win and Myron are looking into the murder of a client--a troubled New York Yankees baseball player called Clu Haid. Clu was apparently shot to death by Esperanza Diaz, who just happens to be Myron's best friend and partner in the sport's agency. Esperanza is hiding something, but Myron isn't sure if it has to do with her job, or with her private life. His search for the truth takes him back to a shabby incident from his own past, and to times he would rather forget. Author Harlan Coben casually drops in dozens of poignant moments of humanity that keep us--and Myron--firmly grounded in reality.

Other books in this excellent series include Backspin, Deal Breaker, Drop Shot, and One False Move. --Dick Adler]]>
Harlan Coben 075286730X Ai-lin 3 3.64 1999 The Final Detail (Myron Bolitar, #6)
author: Harlan Coben
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 3.64
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2008/12/01
date added: 2012/02/13
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Seven Deadly Wonders (Jack West Jr, #1)]]> 144791 AN ANCIENT SECRET . . .
A TEAM OF HEROES . . .
THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME

A legend of the ancient world decrees that every 4,500 years, a terrible solar event will wreak worldwide destruction . . .
But whoever sets the Golden Capstone atop the Great Pyramid at Giza will avert disaster and gain the ultimate prize: a millennium of world dominance.

Now the Sun is turning once again and nation will battle nation to retrieve the missing Capstone . . .
But a group of small nations, led by super-soldier Jack West Jr., bands together to prevent any one country from attaining this frightening power.

Thus the greatest treasure hunt of all time begins -- an adrenaline fueled race on a global battlefield.

From the Colossus of Rhodes to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the Great Egyptian Pyramid itself, unlock the thrills of Seven Deadly Wonders.]]>
547 Matthew Reilly 1416505067 Ai-lin 3 4.13 2005 Seven Deadly Wonders (Jack West Jr, #1)
author: Matthew Reilly
name: Ai-lin
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 2010/12/01
date added: 2012/01/29
shelves:
review:

]]>